Interfax reported that the Kyiv Economic Court has partially satisfied a suit from the Russian Defense Ministry concerning a debt accumulated by Unified Energy Systems of Ukraine (UESU), ordering the Ukrainian government to pay UAH 3.11 billion (USD 390 million) to Russia's defense agency.

The court ruling, issued on Wednesday and read out by judge Anatoly Ivchenko, also ordered Ukraine's government to pay UAH 61,860 in court fees. The ruling would take effect if a possible appeal against it is thrown out, Ivchenko said.

Russia's Defense Ministry, which laid claim to UAH 3.24 billion, was not satisfied with Ukraine's Cabinet being the sole defendant and demanded that the State Treasury Service be a co-defendant. UESU was a third party in the litigation.

The Russian ministry claims that, in the 90s, UESU, which was then headed by Yulia Tymoshenko, failed to meet its commitments on supplies for the Russian military under a 1997 agreement. The then Ukrainian government of Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko allegedly provided state guarantees that the commitments would be fulfilled.

Source - Interfax

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